"Since the first day of the migration crisis, I've had no doubts that the main key to its resolution is restoring effective control of the EU sections and borders. And obviously, an essential precondition for achieving this is close cooperation with our partners in the Balkans and Turkey. Today, we should discuss how to improve the effectiveness of our actions. We need to confirm, politically and in practice, that the western Balkan road of irregular migration is closed for good."

"For the Commission, the continued implementation of the EU-Turkey statement is a priority and remains our plan A. Better managing our external borders is also crucial. Border management has been strengthened with a reinforced presence at different border sections."

7. Helicopter, building where meeting was held

8. Police vehicle, building

Storyline

European leaders gathered in Vienna on Saturday to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis, focussing especially on the so-called Balkan route which Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian refugees have used to reach Europe.

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, believes that better protection of EU borders is a solution to addressing the migrant crisis, though the general influx of illegal migrants has lately been slowing down.

"Since the first day of the migration crisis, I've had no doubts that the main key to its resolution is restoring effective control of the EU sections and borders. And obviously, an essential precondition for achieving this is close cooperation with our partners in the Balkans and Turkey. Today, we should discuss how to improve the effectiveness of our actions. We need to confirm, politically and in practice, that the western Balkan road of irregular migration is closed for good," said Tusk.

The EU-Turkey agreement reached in March and the closure of the Balkan migrant route has significantly brought down the number of migrants who are coming to Europe through Turkey.

"For the Commission, the continued implementation of the EU-Turkey statement is a priority and remains our plan A. Better managing our external borders is also crucial. Border management has been strengthened with a reinforced presence at different border sections," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship.

Austrian and German leaders agreed that the current situation of the migrant influx is better than in 2015, however, more progress should be made in the future.

Following the talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the media that the EU wants to stop illegal immigration while living up its humanitarian responsibilities.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban insisted the EU should build a giant refugee city on the Libyan coast, seeing Libya as a key state to protect the external border of Europe especially the Mediterranean border.

During the last migrant wave, many of the people accessed the European continent by sea, making it difficult for the EU to police its border, while many died due to the poor conditions of their transportation methods.

Following their welcoming policy toward migrants in 2015, European states have since changed their attitude after overwhelming numbers of migrants arriving in Europe put pressure on local governments and services.